by Priya Radünzel, SeaNewsEditor
CMA CGM, the Marseille-based carrier, has finalised plans to resume routing vessels on its India-Middle East-Mediterranean service (MEDEX) through the traditional Suez Canal route, according to the Journal of Commerce (JOC).
Sources indicate that the first vessel to make the Red Sea transit will be the CMA CGM Pelleas, scheduled to depart Mundra, India, on 7 June and pass through the Suez on 28 June.
Following this, the CMA CGM Nabucco and CMA CGM Titus will follow the Suez transit on 5 July and 12 July, respectively.
According to Linerlytica, the MEDEX service will return with a revised port rotation:
Abu Dhabi - Jebel Ali - Karachi (temporarily omitted) - Mundra - Nhava Sheva - Colombo - Jeddah - Piraeus - Malta - Genoa - Fos-sur-Mer - Barcelona - Valencia - Jeddah - Abu Dhabi.
The updated service will operate in a 10-week cycle using 10 ships, each with a capacity between 6,000 and 10,000 TEUs.
COSCO, the Chinese carrier, will continue to participate as a slot charterer on CMA CGM ships, branching the service "Mina."
Although neither carrier has officially announced the return to the Suez route, however, their service schedules now reflect Red Sea transits.
CMA CGM has secured protection from the French Navy for its vessels navigating the conflict area.
Notably, its East Asia-Mediterranean Phoenician Express (BEX2) and the Persian Gulf-Mediterranean Levant Middle East Express (LMX), both operated under the Ocean Alliance, have continued to use the Suez Canal.
Despite recent reports suggesting the de-escalation in Houthi attacks, other major carriers still consider the route high-risk. A broader shift of key trades, such as Asia-North Europe, back to the Suez would require stronger assurance of long-term regional stability.
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